Sunday, 19 September 2010

Wednesday, 15 September 2010

After managing my little crafty business for many months now, one of the things that has quite taken me by surprise is that however hard I might try to plan and organise (both things I LOVE to do!!) my little business seems to often take me in a quite different direction to the one I thought I was travelling along......

In an effort to get a little grip on things before they run completely away with me.....I have been doing a little planning.....yes, again!!

Now that vintage has come into my business in such a big way, indeed it has forced itself in there, from my vintage fabrics to the cake plate collection (a story for another day I think), it has occurred to me that my v for violet range has diminished and the vintage range is taking over.

My textile pictures have also become so addictive that I just can't help doing them and since they are done under my actual name, then I feel I need a vintage name to separate the two.....just in case anyone comes along for a little look hoping to find a 'real artist' living here!!!

Consequently, I have decided to do all the vintagey stuff under the umbrella of Tea Pea Vintage (which clever readers will immediately spot as being my initials!!! Clever huh?!! Okay, well I liked it!!)

It then occurred to me that having a vforviolet blog was a little odd, and also hard to find if one was looking for tea pea vintage?

And so...........lovely readers, I am asking you to please bear with me.......and follow me across to HERE which will be my new home.

Now I can take everything from this blog with me except for you, my lovely followers so I should be very much obliged (not to mention jumping up and down with glee) if you would add yourself as a follower at the new place please!!!! (Otherwise I shall be very lonely and sad by myself!)

I will see you there in a moment...and in the meantime, I will leave you with a strange photo of me mid-making, surrounded by vintage 'stuff' and watched carefully by the Bodkins, of course.

Sunday, 12 September 2010

I have rescued my lovely vintage dutch bike from the depths of the shed and spent ages pumping up the tyres. (Didn't actually realise you had to release the valve before pumping - I wondered why they weren't getting any harder!!)

However....done now (thanks to my Dad - do we EVER really grow up?!!)

And the plan is to cycle into town to post parcels 3 times a week.....therefore cutting down on harm to the environment from horrid car exhaust fumes, get a bit of fresh air and a bit fitter (ha,ha!), and mostly to get back that feeling of being 10 years old again and 'at one' with my bike!!!!!

Monday, 6 September 2010

Morning everyone! I must say I do like Monday mornings, especially when everyone has gone to work/college/school!!! Such promise of possibilities that might be achieved....every Monday is a new start!!

Bit of a panic, however, this morning with last minute ironing for #2 whilst the college bus was due any minute!!!

However, all was well, and the bus stop is luckily almost opposite us. (It was also one of those times when the bus was a bit late as it happened - which I know will lead later to moans of "Why did you rush us so much Mum? We had to wait AGES!! There was plenty of time!!!") Hmmm.

Anyway, we had a great weekend, not least because it was a good friend's birthday party and the theme was the Blues Brothers. The film was shown first, then there was lovely food and dancing. I do love dressing up - but would actually prefer to be in a romantic Victorian costume, or maybe one from Jane Austen..... still, we made an effort!!Thank you to all those people who emailed and said how glad they are that the Bodkins have returned - see what having a timetable does? The little Bodkins have had a quiet summer but now they are definitely back and up to their old tricks no doubt! At least poor little Monty is back.The Offer of the Week this week at Feltgirl.com is FELT!!! Yes, it's a pack of 40 mini wool mix felt squares in 40 gorgeous colours. I do of course, LOVE this felt already, and am quite evangelical about it - so wonderfully soft, no horrid nylon feel, and yet you can wash it at 30 degrees and it irons like a dream!

If you've ever wanted to try it - maybe make a brooch, hair accessories, heart, flowers, or applique onto card or fabric, then now is maybe the time to try - with a massive 25% off this week only, it is a mere £3.75 per pack for 40 colours.

Get them here. (Of course, with there being a £1.80 postage fee no matter what you buy, if you find yourself drifting around the buttons or ribbons aisle, don't worry).

This post really is a mix and match isn't it!

Well, before I go and get on with the next timetabled action!!! I wanted to show you a different version of the bird textile artwork I made at the weekend. It was my plan to do these in different colours and I have a green one to do today!!

Friday, 3 September 2010

Still sticking to my 'timetable' and finding it really does give focus. I didn't factor in any outside stuff though - such as taking #2 to open his first bank account, or meeting with a printer to talk about prints and cards!!

At least though, it makes me realise where I have lost time and which bit needs more time adding to it. (I know what I mean!!)

Anyway, the children have all gone back to school and college and it is strange not to hear them running up and down stairs now and then, giggling and bickering, and even stranger not to find a teenager still wrapped up in a mass of duvet in his bed at mid-day!!

In part of my textile art slot this week, I experimented with a picture I have had in my head for a while and I'm really pleased with how it turned out......(despite my Dad saying, when he saw it - 'would it take you long to colour it in?'!!!!!) Just doesn't get it!!!

I'm doing a couple of others in different colours - I think this would look lovely as a card?

Oh, and talking of cards, if you're anywhere local to Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, the Tourist Information shop are now stocking my textile art cards. Yay!!! x

Wednesday, 1 September 2010

It's a funny thing isn't it - sometimes the more time you have to do something the less you achieve. How does that work?

I've often found that I achieve more if I am pushed for time - it's that old cliche I suppose - if you want something doing, ask a busy person. But it is so TRUE!

Because I love what I do, and partly I think because I have a lovely space in which to do it, I find myself working almost every spare moment. I start first thing in the morning and am usually still going at 10 or 11 at night.

Things like cooking, supermarket shopping and (she says very guiltily) looking after children, often feel like things to be done quickly before I can get back to what I love doing!!

But even so, with ALL this time I am so lucky to have, I often feel I don't actually achieve very much each day.

For a long time my long-suffering hubby, who has listened to this very familiar moan of mine many times, suggested I make myself a timetable...

- divide my time each day and specify what that time is to be used for.....in other words, treat myself like an employee.

Now in the back of my mind, I did think this was a good idea, but somehow never got around to it.

But now......for the past week......I have had a timetable!!! And more or less, with a little tweaking here and there.... I've stuck to it - and boy have I achieved!!!!

It is UNBELIEVABLE!!

In the past 3 days alone, I have packed up and posted ALL outstanding parcels, designed and sewn a new textile artwork, made 3 cushions with vintage fabric AND put them in the shop, done a mini stock check, finished lots of outstanding tidying that I kept meaning to do, sorted my vintage buttons, cut out and matched up 30 flowers for fabric brooches, updated 3 blogs and taken new stock to 2 different shops. It is AMAZING!!!

Not totally sure I can keep this up - might have to factor in some relaxation time!!! but at the moment the evenings and Sunday on my timetable are free for me to choose what to do so I could use that time!!

I think that's probably the only downside in doing something you love, for a living - you don't want or know when to stop!!!!

All the time I used to waste, knowing I had SO many things I should be doing but never quite knowing what to do first. Now I can relax, knowing there is a time in the week allocated for everything.

I am very fond of the whole concept of organisation..... as a child, I used to declutter and change my bedroom around for fun!! I love lists, and new starts......September and starting a new year at school used to be a favourite time for me.......so this has happened at the perfect time!!

Anyhow, I highly recommend timetabling yourself, however much time you have, it seems to get so much more out of it.

Just realised how much I have waffled on...but this is the slot allocated for writing the blog after all!......x

I will leave you with the new textile artwork - a little bigger than any I've done yet...our local market place....

Hi, my name is Tanya
and I love to write and sew.
Welcome to my blog
where I do a bit of both.
I am passionate about fabric,
buttons and ribbons,
and I never have enough
time to make all the things
in my head!